With burglaries increasing year over year according to Office for National Statistics data, it’s becoming more important than ever to ensure that our homes are well protected against the prospect of intrusion.
Concerning figures suggest that homes in England and Wales are broken into every 165 seconds, representing a total of 191,490 homes hit for the year ending March 2023.
The data also shows that burglaries have increased in England and Wales by 4% over the year before, and with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis linked to rising crime levels, we may be facing a challenging year ahead as economic headwinds continue to linger into the new year.
With the startling fact that almost one-third of homeowners have no security system in place, millions of UK homes may be sitting ducks for burglars. But what measures can we take to ensure that our belongings and loved ones are safe from danger at all times?
Let’s explore 5 easy-to-action deterrents that can help to ensure that your home doesn’t become the target of burglars in the future:
1. Invest in a video doorbell
Video doorbells are arguably the biggest innovation of the 21st Century when it comes to keeping your home safe. Connected to the Cloud, it’s possible to use your doorbell’s video feed to see who’s at your door and even program the device to record footage once it senses movement within its field of view.
While many video doorbell systems require a subscription, a competitive market has helped to offer a wide range of low-cost options when it comes to installing your doorbell, and it’s possible to buy household name brands for around £35 at the time of writing.
Some renowned brands like Ring even offer 1080p HD video feeds and Amazon Alexa compatibility for a seamless user experience and a crisp picture to provide peace of mind.
With the ability to log many hours of activity over a number of days, video doorbells are great at helping you to spot early on if something doesn’t seem right. Additionally, even if you don’t opt for a subscription your your smart doorbell, its very presence can help to act as a deterrent to burglars.
2. CCTV to stop burglars in their tracks
Installing visible home CCTV cameras can be an excellent way of preventing burglars from even entertaining the thought of trying to break into your home.
The great thing about using CCTV cameras is that it shows you’re serious about your home security, and can cause burglars to wonder what other measures you’ve taken to keep your property safe.
CCTV cameras are a significant cause for concern for burglars because they can help the police to make prosecutions, and the increased risk of getting caught can be too steep for many criminals to test.
While CCTV cameras can be costly to set up and also a point of concern for neighbours who may be in their field of view, you may find that installing an LED dummy camera can still act as a suitable deterrent without actually having any expensive recording equipment built-in. At a cost of around £10, these dummy cameras can still put burglars off at a fraction of the cost.
3. Embrace the power of the smart door lock
Smart locks can offer many different added layers of security for your house to counter the risk of somebody breaking in. These locks can be opened through fingerprints, PIN codes, smartphones, or fobs, and they can also keep a full record of everybody who has passed through the door.
This means that you’ll not only ensure that only trusted people will freely pass through your door, but you can also see exactly when your door was unlocked and opened.
With smart locks available to buy for around £82 at present, they can be a strong technological advancement to embrace that could pay dividends in the long run.
If you’re concerned about the threat of burglary, it’s possible to combine smart locks with the installation of a strong steel or brass lock, which can be expertly installed by a trusted locksmith.
“Upgrade your locks to British Standards approved locks such as BS3621-approved 5-lever mortice locks for wooden doors”, suggest experts at Rated Locksmiths. As an additional measure, “install a quality deadlock and/or night latch to further bolster security”, they further added.
4. Adding gravel to your drive is a great natural deterrent
Burglar deterrents don’t have the be ‘smart’ or connected to the cloud. An effective solution could be as simple as adding gravel to your driveway. This means that anybody looking to access your property would need to walk on the noisy gravel to reach your door, which naturally alerts you to a potential intruder.
Because of the noise that gravel drives can make, using gravel can help you to prevent burglars from attempting to break into your property due to the risk of being detected by either yourself or a neighbour.
5. Get timer-operated lighting
If your house is perceived to be unoccupied, it’s more likely to become a target for burglars. While it can be difficult to keep your home protected when you’re away for a prolonged period, timed lighting features can help you to give the impression that you’re still home.
Lighting timers are a relatively low-cost way of managing your indoor and outdoor lighting to deter burglars from attempting to break into what they believe to be a property that’s occupied.
Once again, your home lighting can also plug into the Cloud, and it’s entirely possible to use your smartphones to control your lighting at home on a remote basis.
Impressively, you can even buy a fake TV light simulator, which can accurately mimic the flickering and fading light produced by a TV as if you were sitting in your living room.
These measures can all help to make your home far less appealing to burglars and keep your valuables safe even if you have to leave your property unattended for long periods of time.
With a home broken into every 165 seconds in England and Wales, it’s essential that residents do as much as they can to ensure that their home is protected against the threat of criminal activity.
By investing a little money into a few easy-to-implement deterrents, you can relax knowing that your home is safe from harm.
